What's a Name?
by BaronessBlixen
Summary: Post Series. After the birth of their first child, Helen is unhappy with the name they picked out. Late one night, Joe muses and finds the perfect name. Fluff. One-shot.


**What's a name?**

**A/N:** This is my first Wings story. I started writing one a couple of years ago, but never finished it. Now I'm re-watching the whole series and this just popped up. Hope you enjoy.

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The first word Joe found on his lips when he saw his daughter for the first time was a German one. They'd lived in Vienna for a couple of years now and sometimes the foreign language would creep up on him. It did when he looked at the small bundle in Helen's arms. 'Wunderschön', he thought, because the English equivalent 'beautiful' didn't even begin to describe her.

"Hi." He whispered and the emotions overtook him. Helen, too, only had eyes for their daughter. She was crying softly and Joe realized how unusual it was for his wife to be this quiet. He laughed, because in many ways this was such a strange situation to be in.

"What's so funny?" No matter where they lived and what language Helen spoke, her Texan roots always shone through. Joe had come to rely on them; he couldn't imagine her without that drawl, but he would make sure that their daughter didn't catch it.

"She-she is just so perfect."

"Of course she is!" Helen beamed. "But Joe… she doesn't look like a Johanna. We can't call her that. Look at her! Does she look like a Johanna to you?" Helen almost spat the name they had decided on a couple of weeks ago. Joe inspected his daughter and touched her pudgy arm. She seemed to be reaching out for him and he felt so much love for this little human being. He couldn't remember ever having felt anything similar. Maybe flying. This was like flying for the very first time; only a million times better.

"We never picked another name."

"We can't call her Johanna, Joe!" The doctor had warned him about the emotional turmoil Helen might go through. So he decided to not say anything and just nod along. That was always the best choice anyway. As he looked at his daughter, he realized that Helen was right; Johanna was not the right name for her.

"We'll think of something." He promised her.

Three days later, they were allowed to go home. Baby girl Hackett still didn't have a name. Joe had called Brian and Casey, who had been over the moon to be an uncle and an aunt respectively, but they couldn't understand the whole dilemma with the name.

"What do you mean she doesn't look like a Johanna?" Brian had asked. "What does a Johanna look like?" Moments like that made Joe realize how much he missed his little brother.

Helen was reading baby name books. Plural. Whenever she liked a name, she tried it on the little girl, but nothing seemed to fit. Unfortunately, Joe agreed with her. Their daughter was simply special. Too special for any name they found.

While Helen despaired over the books, Joe took his daughter and carried her around. As soon as she was a little older, they would move back to the US. Joe and Helen both missed Nantucket, but most of all they missed the people they had left behind. He couldn't imagine his daughter growing up without knowing the island or her crazy family.

"I'm so tired." Helen complained.

"Go to bed. I'll take care of her." Joe smiled. She did look exhausted. Not that he would tell her so, because he was afraid she might yell at him. The pregnancy hadn't always been a smooth ride.

"Wake me when she's hungry?" He nodded and softly kissed her lips.

"So it's just the two of us, huh?" He rocked the little baby back and forth. She had finally opened her eyes fully and she seemed to be looking at him. Joe knew she didn't see much yet, but he felt as if she was looking right into his soul.

"It would be so much easier if you could talk and tell us what name you'd like to be called. Baby girl Hackett is too original." Joe smiled at her. He couldn't wait to see her grow up. In his mind, she would have long, blond hair and look like Helen. Of course she would be as neat as him and she'd love flying. They would fly together. He would teach her how to run with her arms outstretched as if she were a plane. Just like he had taught Brian. He had taught Brian a lot of things, because in many ways he had been like a mother for him. It was strange to think of their childhood that way, but there was a lot of truth in it. After their mother had left, Brian had clung to him. Their father hadn't been much of an adult; much like Brian was today. But Joe had always been old, even as a child. Responsibility could have been his middle name – and he had taken it when he was merely 12 years old. He looked at his daughter and thought of Brian. Right after their mother had left them, Brian had often cried in the middle of the night. Often he had crawled into Joe's bed and while he had been reluctant at first, Joe had accepted this role. He had told Brian funny stories, had made him fall in love with flying just so his little brother would smile again. Yes, in many ways he had done this – parenthood – before. He had had practice. And suddenly, as he looked at this little girl, he knew what her name was supposed to be. He smiled at her and he couldn't wait for the day she would return it.

"Helen, Helen wake up!" Joe was too excited to not share the news with her. She opened her eyes and looked just like their daughter; eyes half open and somewhat unsure where she was and why.

"Hungry?"

"No, she's asleep, but-"

"You woke me even though she's asleep?!"

"Listen, Helen," he sat down next to her and when she saw the happiness in his eyes, she immediately softened. "I have a name. Actually, it's the perfect name."

"Well, what is it?" Helen asked impatiently when he didn't answer immediately. He smiled like a little boy with a big secret. Once upon a time Helen had fallen in love with this smile.

"You know I've been thinking a lot about Brian. How I had to bring him up after mom had left. When I look at her… I feel like I've had practice with bringing up a child and it's all because of him. So I was thinking we could call her Brianna."

"Oh, Joe." There was that teary voice again. Helen took his hand and for a moment Joe was convinced she hated the name, but suddenly she was hugging him tightly.

"It's perfect, Joe. Just perfect."

Joe grinned and made a mental note to call his brother in the morning and tell him about his niece's name – and maybe even how much he loved him.

**END**


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